


You Fall Awake Again (You're Sleeping With Your Friends)

by Glaisne



Series: Polysiders Hours [1]
Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow
Genre: Multi, Polysiders, can't believe I never thot of it, some peoples brains...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:53:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24033073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glaisne/pseuds/Glaisne
Summary: It’s polysiders date night and the gang runs into a certain trio while eating out.
Relationships: Alec/Taylor Hebert/Brian Laborn/Rachel Lindt/Lisa Wilbourn
Series: Polysiders Hours [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733671
Comments: 15
Kudos: 165





	You Fall Awake Again (You're Sleeping With Your Friends)

Taylor tugged at the edges of her dress, looking herself up and down in the mirror. She always thought dresses made her look gangly and awkward, but Lisa had bullied her into wearing one for tonight. If you can classify excessive compliments as bullying. 

She raked a hand through her hair, resisting the urge to put it in a ponytail. She looked…not bad. Maybe? She wasn’t sure. The cornflower blue made her seem brighter and more vibrant, and letting her long curls hang loose made her look almost pretty.

Someone knocked rapidly on the loft’s bathroom door and she hurried to collect her things from the counter and pull it open, already apologizing for taking so long.

“That’s fine, I was just wondering if you were read–”

Brian cut himself off, blinking at her. He looked her up and down and she could already feel the old Taylor bracing herself for an insult. 

“Ready,” He finished softly. “You look great, Tay.”

She let the tension wash from her shoulders. “Thanks. You, too.”

He really did look great. Better than great. He was just wearing slacks and a button down shirt and for some reason that made him the most handsome guy she had ever seen. She forced her eyes back up to his face as she felt her cheeks heating, sliding past him before she embarrassed herself further.

“Hey!” Lisa was looping an arm through hers the second she was out into the main room. “You’re gorgeous. I told you so. Never doubt me.” Her bottle glass eyes were striking, outlined with bold eyeliner that looked more like Alec’s work than her own. She was wearing a rose colored dress that fell to her knees, gray tights making the color seem muted.

“You don’t exactly need Thinker powers for that one, Lise.” Alec sounded bored, but she didn’t miss the subtle compliment. She smiled, reaching over to take his hand and pull him up from the couch. His fingers dropped from hers once he was standing. She didn’t let her smile falter. Alec was sometimes apathetic and sometimes engaged. He was sometimes enthusiastic, and sometimes he couldn’t be touched. They understood that. He was theirs, anyways. 

“We’re leaving,” Rachel announced. “Now.”

Lisa leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek, leaving a cherry pink lipstick stain behind. “It wasn’t our fault it took so long getting ready. Alec took forever with makeup, so it’s his fault.”

The air was warm as the five of them stepped out onto the street below the loft. It felt like spring. 

“I resent that.”

Alec’s makeup was nice. He didn’t really wear it a lot around the loft, but date night was a special occasion. He always looked pretty, with delicate features and soft curls, but he looked model beautiful tonight, long lashes low over his pale blue eyes. 

“Hand?” Brian asked, grinning when Alec let him lace their fingers together. “I can’t believe we’re getting pizza again. We had it yesterday.”

“We’re getting fancy pizza,” Alec protested. “That doesn’t count as real pizza.”

Lisa nodded. “Not enough grease.”

Taylor almost startled as something warm draped over her shoulders. Rachel’s good leather jacket was familiar. She wrapped it tighter around herself, looking towards the other girl.

“You looked cold,” Rachel grunted, crossing her arms. Without her jacket, the movement made her biceps very noticeable.

Lisa laughed, and Taylor ducked her head when she realized she had been caught staring. Alec was in the same boat as her from the looks of it, only he hadn’t looked away when caught.

The pizza place Lisa had picked out was only a short walk from Taylor’s normal jogging route by the Boardwalk. It was pricey, some ‘artisan pizza’ place, whatever that meant. Probably angling to attract tourists. But money wasn’t an object for them at the moment. Not after their last robbery.

The hostess seated them by a window, handing them their menus and bringing water before giving them time.

“This is too many types of pizza,” Alec complained, turning the heavy menu pages with growing astonishment. “I suddenly can’t read. Someone pick for me.”

“Ok, I hope you like anchovies,” Brian smirked.

Alec flipped him off. “Do it and I won’t kiss you ever again.”

“Ever again?” Lisa teased. 

“Ever again until he orders me a different pizza.”

“That’s fair,” Lisa agreed. “Anchovies are gross. Brian, you’d better pick a good pizza for him or he won’t kiss you ever again.”

“I’ll try my best,” Brian promised.

Alec chuckled, leaning over to press his lips to the side of Brian’s throat. “Can we watch a movie tonight?”

“You watch a movie practically every night.”

Alec rolled his eyes, gesturing around the table. “All of us, dork.”

“I’d love to,” Taylor smiled. There was light behind Alec’s eyes again, and it was the best thing in the world. “What are we watching? I heard–”

“Wow, you were right Mads. It is her.”

Taylor’s words died in her mouth at the familiar voice. She turned slowly in her seat. Emma smirked at her. 

The three of them were sitting just across from the group, seeming to have just been seated there. Emma looked positively gleeful at seeing her, while Sophia looked angry and Madison looked amused. 

“Who the fuck are you?”

Emma blinked as her gaze shifted to Alec. He had leaned forward, his voice going flat and hostile. 

Taylor watched Emma’s initial anger at the intrusion shift into confusion as she looked at the people sitting with Taylor. She saw the way Emma’s eyes kept flicking back to Alec. He was pretty, and Taylor was sure Emma had noticed.

Emma smiled, the sticky sweet one she used on boys at school when she wanted them to do her homework. “Emma,” she introduced herself, reaching over to offer Alec her hand. “What are you doing sitting by the wet blanket? Wanna come hang with us?”

Taylor very much doubted Emma would have been so forward if not for the prospect of taking what she perceived to be a friend of Taylor’s and turning him against her. Not that it would have worked even if Alec was just her friend. 

Alec looked from her hand to her face to her hand again. He was more expressionless than Taylor had ever seen him. He reached over and plucked up Taylor’s hand.

“I’m sitting with my girlfriend. Thanks.”

Emma’s eyes went wide. Taylor thought her jaw might have actually dropped. She seemed lost for words, staring from Taylor to Alec to the rest of the group. Sophia didn’t seem to face the same barrier, a savage smile growing on her face. Taylor watched her eyes fix on Brian and remembered that Sophia had seen them kiss on the bus. She knew what Sophia had to be assuming. 

“Hebert, you slut.” She sounded almost impressed. “Cheating on your boyfriend? That’s low.” She leaned over to look directly at Alec. “Didn’t you know she’s sleeping with him? I saw them together.” She nodded towards Brian, watching Alec for a reaction.

Alec turned to Taylor. “I can’t believe you’d betray me,” He deadpanned.

Taylor raised both eyebrows, not bothering to hide her smile. “I’m so sorry. How can I ever make it up to you?”

Alec sighed, long and put upon. “No. It’s me who needs to make it up to you. I am also sleeping with Brian.”

“You homewrecker,” Lisa snipped at Brian, though she was also smiling. Brian had buried his face in his hands, resting his elbows on the table. His shoulders were shaking. 

“I’m sleeping with him, too,” said Rachel, stuffing garlic bread into her pockets. Hopefully she’d share it with them instead of giving it to her dogs.

“It’s true. I’m sleeping with Rachel,” Alec confessed without a change in expression. “And Lisa.”

“I've got to tell you. I’m sleeping with them, as well,” Taylor told him. She was trying hard not to laugh.

Alec nodded sagely. “Then our weakness is the same. Hot people.”

Emma’s face was red and splotchy. Her mouth moved wordlessly. She looked from the group and back to Taylor as though measuring them up against each other.

Rachel looked up from the nearly empty bread plate. “We’re all dating each other. Now go away.”

“You’re kidding. Why the fuck would you date her?” Emma finally exclaimed. “She’s a loser, and she’s lame. All she does is mope around. Did you know her mom died–”

The mood soured the instant Emma started talking. They had been distracted by the joke, but now with Emma having introduced herself and taunting Taylor, there was no way they didn’t know she was the girl who’d tormented her for years.

“Yeah, so did my mom. So will your mom, if you don’t stop talking shit,” Alec commented. “Don’t worry, though. You won’t be around to see it.”

“No, Alec,” Lisa stressed. 

“Yes. I was fine with leaving them alone so long as they stayed the fuck away, but I’m not about to let these bitches walk away.”

Taylor heard the sound of a switchblade opening under the table, and couldn’t be sure if it came from Alec or Rachel. She shot them both warning looks. Rachel’s glare didn’t falter. She growled, low and rumbling.

“Rache, calm down,” Brian raised his hands in a placating gesture. “We can’t just hurt people in public. Alec, baby, knife away.”

“I’ve got them,” Lisa reassured their two most volatile team members. Her smile turned vulpine as she directed it at Emma. “No need for violence when this one is all bark, no bite.” Her gaze shifted to Sophia. “This one is a trying not to violate a probation.” Madison. “And this one is nothing but a pathetic tag-along. Say, Mads, don’t you know these two don’t give a fuck about you? You’re cute following them around, but you’re not really worth their time. This is the first time they’ve hung out with you outside of school all month, isn’t it? And they said they were both busy, but they weren’t too busy for each other. You know they’ve been blowing you off to hang out just the two of them. You’re irrelevant and you know it.”

Madison had shrunk back, her doe eyes wide and watery. Lisa moved on from her without a second thought. “And Emma. Stupid Emma, thinking that sticking with Sophia is enough to make you strong. You got shown how pathetically vulnerable you are and now you need to play pretend at being tough but that’s all it is. Pretend. You haven’t done anything to actually get stronger. You bully defenseless people at school, sure. But that doesn’t change the fact that out here in the real world, you’re just as weak as ever. If someone wants to cut those pretty eyes out of your head, you won’t do anything but cry. And Sophia Hess. I would call you a violent psychopath with no empathy for other people, but it wouldn’t be news. Wanna hear something you don’t know? It was your fault he jumped–”

“Alright, it’s time for us to go.”

Brian grabbed Lisa and Taylor’s hands, pulling them up and out of their seats. Alec hopped over the back of the booth while Rachel stomped past the trio. It was full night outside the pizza shop. Rachel was chewing on a piece of garlic bread.

“I’m sorry–” Taylor started, before Lisa cut her off.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“But I ruined date night.”

“Nah, dork. We’ll just get Dominos again.”

“Alec, did you plan this?”

“If I planned this, we’d be putting three dead bodies in a dumpster right now.”

Taylor felt Brian squeeze her hand. He was still smiling. Lisa ordered a pizza while they walked home, before starting a competition with Rachel to see who could make Alec blush (A recurring group competition that was most often won by Rachel). 

The loft was warm when they got back and picked out a movie to watch. Taylor leaned her head on Lisa’s shoulder as her datemates got comfortable on the couch.

The night hadn’t gone as expected, but Taylor wasn’t complaining.


End file.
